UA's Christian Colegrove advances to Saturday's final

After University of Arizona senior Christian Colegrove advanced to Saturday's final of the Arizona Amateur by defeating top-seeded Bryan Hoops and No. 4 seed Austin Quick, the first thing he thanked was the last club he hit.

“Got to give a lot of credit to the putter here today,” Colegrove, of Chandler, said Friday outside the clubhouse at Pinnacle Peak Country Club in Scottsdale. “When I had a few shots that didn’t go my way I was able to have something there to back it up.”

Colegrove, who does not play for the UA golf team, will face No. 18 James Russo, a recent Scottsdale Chaparral High School graduate, in Saturday's final at 7:30 a.m.

Russo won his match on the 18th green after No. 3 Cody McManus, a Phoenix native and Pepperdine sophomore, missed a short par putt. After his victory, Russo acknowledged the pressure he felt while playing Friday.

“I’ve never been this nervous in my life,” Russo said. “didn’t expect to make it to the finals starting this week, that’s for sure.”

After defeating Hoops of Chandler 2 and 1 in the quarterfinals, Colegrove eliminated Quick, an Arizona State junior from Scottsdale, with an eagle on the first playoff hole.

Colegrove needed to tie or win one of the final three holes against Quick but could not close out the match. On the 18th hole his ball didn't reach the green. After he hit his second shot in the water and his next (following a drop) in the bunker, he saw that Quick needed to make a 15-foot putt for eagle.

Colegrove conceded the hole 200 yards from the green. The pair then headed to the first tee to start a playoff.

“He just stepped up, and he really performed,” Colegrove said of Quick. “You have to give a lot of credit to him.”

The momentum had shifted in Quick's favor, but Colegrove kept his confidence by focusing on his victory over Hoops.

“It was unfortunate, but I knew I put good swings on it the whole day,” Colegrove said.

Colegrove followed Quick to the first tee, where 18 holes earlier he had recorded an eagle to take the lead.

Quick teed off. The shot sailed right, diving straight for the fairway bunker on the par 5. Then Colegrove hit his drive into perfect position.

Quick crushed his second shot to the right of the fairway, and Colegrove landed a mid-iron shot to about 12 feet from the hole.

After chip and 15-foot birdie putt by Quick, all eyes were on Colegrove. His eagle putt rolled in, and for the second time that day, Colegrove was shaking hands after defeating a top-five seed.

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